MTLNOVEL Chapter 71
“You mean to tell me that you, who only recently received the blessing, created that potion?”
At King Ares’ words, I nodded.
“Believe it or not, that’s up to you. But I ask for just one promise.”
“And what is that?”
“Please keep my secret confined to those present here.”
The man before me seemed to be a reasonable and kind-hearted person, devoted to his family.
But precisely because he was such a person, I had to make my stance clear.
“Of course. I would never act dishonorably toward the benefactor who saved my wife’s life.”
“Indeed, as royalty, we must repay the kindness we receive.”
Both King Ares and Queen Eclair gave me their word.
“I-I would never betray you either, Lord Erik!”
“I never thought you would, Angelica.”
Seeing Angelica’s desperate expression, I smiled at her.
“Now then, regarding the Queen’s illness, unfortunately, my potion cannot cure diseases.”
If only it could completely heal her, but stamina potions merely restore physical strength.
“No, you’ve already done more than enough. My wife’s condition was only worsening, yet she has regained her strength. Erik, I cannot thank you enough.”
I nodded at his words.
“That said, our last hope still lies with the Elixir…”
King Ares frowned bitterly as he spoke.
“F-Father! I will definitely create the Elixir one day! No matter how many years it takes!”
“Well said, my daughter! Thanks to Erik’s potion, Eclair has been granted more time. In that case, I shall spare no effort. The Elixir—something only legendary alchemists can create
.
Leave the gathering of ingredients to me.”
Now that Queen Eclair had more time, King Ares, who had once given up, seemed to have found renewed hope.
I stepped in between the two.
“Um… may I speak?”
“What is it, Erik? Speak freely.”
“If it’s me, I believe I can make the Elixir without any problem. Just prepare the ingredients.”
I cleared my throat and voiced my words, feeling slightly awkward.
“C-Can you truly create the legendary panacea?”
As Angelica approached me in shock, I took a step back and nodded.
“I believe I have the highest success rate in this country.”
I had worked tirelessly to hone my skills. As long as I had the necessary ingredients, I was confident I could do it.
‘
“Can we really rely on you for this?”
King Ares looked at me as if seeing the impossible.
“Of course. If I fail, I will stake my very life on it. So please, allow me to try.”
Placing a hand on my chest, I spoke my resolve.
“Why… why would you go this far for us?”
The question came from Angelica.
“I knew that you’ve been spending every day locked away in the academy’s research lab, working on something. You must have been creating that stamina potion.”
I never expected she had noticed.
“I also knew that you were exhausting yourself in the process. But this should have been our burden to bear. There was no need for you to push yourself to the brink of collapse, let alone risk your life.”
She was right. The recipe for the legendary panacea was well-documented. Even if I didn’t take on the task, with enough time and materials, they could find a skilled alchemist to create it. However…
“Angelica, you cried because of your mother’s condition, didn’t you?”
“W-Where did you see that?!”
It was just a hunch, but I could tell Angelica had been holding back her emotions.
Looking at Angelica, Queen Eclair, and King Ares, I said:
“I simply didn’t want to see Angelica in sorrow. Is that not reason enough?”
“Eh…?”
For some reason, Angelica’s face turned bright red.
“Oh my, oh my… Erik, is that how you truly feel?”
For some reason, Queen Eclair approached me with a knowing look and patted my shoulder.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“Oh, don’t be so formal! Call me Eclair.”
Perhaps because her strength had returned, she seemed unusually spirited. I glanced at King Ares for help, but…
“Such an upstanding young man… I could entrust Angelica to him…”
“Y-Your Majesty?”
I took a step back at King Ares’ sudden remark.
“You may call me Ares as well.”
“No, no, no! That would be inappropriate. Please, have mercy on me.”
“This is a royal decree!”
“And a queen’s decree as well!”
I never expected them to use their authority for something so trivial. I had thought of them as reasonable adults, but…
“How about ‘Ares’ and ‘Eclair’ for now?”
“Very well. That will do for now.”
“Yes, we’ll settle for that—for now.”
Managing to reach a compromise, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now then, aside from the Elixir’s ingredients…”
“Yes, we’ll also need a magic tool to preserve potions for long periods.”
From there, Ares, Eclair, and I discussed the future.
I still had the stamina potion for now, but if things remained as they were, I would have to deliver it here every week.
Naturally, ensuring Eclair’s survival was the top priority, but I couldn’t dedicate all my time to just this.
Thus, they agreed to prepare a magic tool capable of long-term preservation.
“Even without such a tool, I would love for you to visit every week, Erik.”
“Yes, and I’d love to enjoy fresh vegetables as well.”
Since we were sharing secrets, I also revealed that I was responsible for the vegetables and weapons they had received.
When I demonstrated by taking out the vegetables and weapons before their eyes, they were momentarily stunned but ultimately accepted it with laughter.
In the end, I secured an agreement that if necessary, Ares would distribute the stamina potion and vegetables, in exchange for a substantial reward.
“F-Father, Mother, please stop this already! L-Lord Erik is my…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
Angelica began to say something but, upon meeting my gaze…
“I-It’s nothing!”
She turned away, her face flushed red.
“Perhaps we should give Angelica a potion as well?”
Tilting my head in confusion…
“Fufufu. Please take good care of my daughter.”
Eclair made the request with a warm smile.